Chapter 162: Analysis, Curiosity and Strange Occurrence

Chapter 162: Analysis, Curiosity and Strange Occurrence

_________ POV Ken _________

It has certainly been a while since Ume has become one of my personal pupils.

In all honesty, all children of the Brotherhood are my personal pupils, they are all learning techniques that I either created or perfected.

But she is one of the few that I have been teaching personally for a while.

Her talent for Senjutsu can only really be described as monstrous, aside from me there is no one in the Brotherhood able to match her in that aspect.

But she is still too green to win against that brat Takehiko. The Adamantite Sealings Chains have the ability to suppress anything, including senjutsu.

We know that thanks to Kazue, who so kindly showed us how the Adamantite Sealing Chains worked during spars.

Of course, he only ever fought against some of the blades, he never quite got around to challenging me to a fight, but I'm sure he'll gain the courage to do so eventually. Hopefully, within the meagre time, he has left to stay with us in the brotherhood.

Regardless, his frequent spars with Akira have managed to showcase some of the strengths of the Sealing Chains, and to say they are powerful is to put it lightly.

I doubt there is any other bloodline limit as powerful as the Adamantite Sealing Chains from the get-go.

Things like the Sharingan and its evolution into the Mangekyō Sharingan are powers that one must unlock and work hard to strengthen.

However, the Adamantite Sealing Chains will always be overwhelmingly powerful as long as one has an inexhaustible supply of Chakra to feed them.

Of course, the more mastery one has over Fuinjutsu the better one can use it and the stronger it technically becomes, as the chains can intertwine to create powerful arrays and barriers. But its raw power alone is enough to press any Jonin, let alone regular Genin.

It is very safe to assume that this Takehiko kid doesn't have the Fuinjutsu knowledge to use his bloodline limit to a level even close to being comparable to Kazue. However, it's still safe to assume that the chains would suppress all energies of the one they bind.

So, worst case scenario, the moment Ume is trapped within those chains is the moment the fight ends.

In that case, I have to teach her some tricks to give her at least a chance. Even if she can't win, she at least will be able to take care of herself and maybe even give that Uzumaki child a run for his money.

Well, training her is going to be my priority in the following days, but for now, I can't help but direct my attention inward... Something within this Hidden Village has once again caught my attention.

As my feet stepped onto the tiles of a house, the cold air brushed passed my hair, and leaves danced around me.

As I felt the trees around me dance in the wind, I couldn't help but feel an omen.

A smell of blood wafted through the air, so neutered that even the most trained hound would've not been able to feel it. Someone is certainly trying to hide it.

Blood was mixed with other substances, disinfectants, pesticides, and venom. All of those aromas merged into one, making it seem almost... Sterile.

This is the type of smell that I would expect to feel in Saburo's laboratory, or within a hospital, not in the middle of Konoha in what seems to be a residential area.

... I guess I should take a 'look' into this, huh?

___________ POV Narration ___________ Updated chapters at novelhall.com

Like all men, Ken was very much driven by his curiosity at times. Usually restrained and hampered by his carefulness, but after he had grown so strong, he had no real reason to keep his guard up at all times.

Even if all of the other leaders of the alliance were to band together against him, Ken was still confident that he'd be able to escape with his life.

"Indeed. I believe you are one of the Sanin, right? Jiraiya's comrades." Ken's back was completely turned to Orochimaru, but even in that position, the Snake Sannin felt as if he was the one vulnerable in that room.

"... That is correct. My name is Orochimaru..." With a sigh and a narrowed gaze, Orochimaru finally composed himself.

'He seems to be here on his own, no Anbu tailing him... The Hokage likely doesn't know anything about this then...' Although composed on the outside, the Sannin's mind was running on overdrive, he couldn't quite afford to get caught so soon.

He was already forced to severely downsize his operations after his main backer, Danzo, was executed for treason. His research was at a pivotal point now, he couldn't afford any distractions.

"So, Orochimaru. Would you mind telling me a bit more about this little science project you are conducting here?" Although Ken's voice sounded friendly, his face was completely neutral underneath his mask.

He examined the victim on the table and determined that it was likely a bandit or outlaw of some sort. Roguh and unkempt features, a lingering smell of grass and leaves, bulky frame and scarred body.

Of course, Ken doubted that Orochimaru cared about the man's innocence.

The Snake Sannin stared at Ken for a moment, as if weighing his options before responding.

"Well, I am merely working on a hypothesis. Say, Lord Ken, have you ever been interested in attaining immortality?"

In the end, he decided to lay all of his cards out on the table. He was still somewhat young, and a bit brazen, but he was not foolish.

There was no silencing Ken, fighting him was not an option, and sealing him was not something that Orochimari alone could ever hope to accomplish.

The only thing that the Snake Sannin could really do was to try and bring Ken to his side. To make the Blind Assassin see his cause.

"I can't say I have." Ken lied with a straight face and a smile on his lips. There was no man who never once thought about the concept of immortality and/or desired it.

Ken had already heard stories about people achieving such a feat, like the Hermit who had managed to reach immortality through Genjutsu.

Ken himself had a good chance to be immortal thanks to the fact that Tailed Beasts were known to not really ever die.

"Well, I for one am very interested in this, and I am pursuing it seriously. The samples you likely sense all around you are all special, materials that may help one reach immortality... Or at least a longer lifespan."

Orochimaru didn't go too far into his reasons, but it was self-explanatory. The dream of any doctor was to find the cure for everything, and immortality was that very cure.

'This is the second mad Scientist I've found at least in some way interested in immortality...' Ken felt that twist of fate rather amusing, but he didn't let that distract him from what interested him the most.

"So... What exactly are these cells?"

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Hope you liked the chapter!

My bad for missing an upload on Sunday didn't get to write much that day... anyway, still want to continue with the daily uploads and not fall off on the deep end again :))

Also yep, finally time to introduce Hashirama Cells in the picture(and Orochi) More on that next chapter

Story Shoutout: Transcendence: The Versatile Demoness

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